Definition

Noun: A sumo wrestler is a professional athlete who competes in sumo, the traditional Japanese style of wrestling. Sumo wrestlers are characterized by their significant size and body mass, which is developed and maintained as a strategic part of their sport.

Usage

The term "sumo wrestler" refers specifically to the athlete. It is a compound noun where "sumo" specifies the type of wrestling.

Examples: * The young sumo wrestler began his intensive training at the stable. * To become a top-ranking sumo wrestler requires immense dedication to ritual, diet, and technique. * The documentary followed the daily life of a sumo wrestler.

Advanced Usage

• Cultural Role: In Japan, a sumo wrestler (or ) is not just an athlete but also a figure bound by strict tradition, etiquette, and Shinto rituals.
• Hierarchy: The term encompasses all ranks, from the lowest trainee () to the highest champion ().

Variants and Related Words

• Rikishi (noun): The Japanese term for a sumo wrestler.
• Yokozuna (noun): The highest rank a sumo wrestler can achieve, denoting a grand champion.
• Sumo (noun): The sport itself, or used attributively (e.g., sumo match, sumo stable).

Synonyms

• Rikishi (the direct Japanese synonym).
• Sumotori (a less common Japanese term for a sumo wrestler).

Idioms and Fixed Phrases

• To live like a sumo wrestler: This phrase can imply following a regimented lifestyle focused on training and consuming large, specific meals to gain mass.
  • During his bulk-up phase, he was eating like a sumo wrestler.

Noun

1. a wrestler who participates in sumo (a Japanese form of wrestling)
   • sumo wrestlers are large heavy men